Spike holding tool



Aaa@ E@ @4% H. H. TALBOYS ET AL 4399539 SPIKE HOLDING' TOOL n Filed April l5, 194e 2 sheets-sheet l ugo 3%?? w49 H; H. TAL-.Bays ET AL 2543995@ SPIKE HOLDING TOOL Filed April l5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Aug. 3Q, 1949 1 SPIKE HOLDING TOOL Henry H. Talboys and Wilfred S. Isaacs, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Nordberg Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee,

tion of Wisconsin Wis., a corpora- Application April 15, 1946, Serial No. 662,174

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improvement in spike holders and has for one purp-ose to provide elcient means for holding railroad spikes in position to be driven into the ties.

Another purpose is to provide a spike holder which may be eiciently used with railroad spike driving machines.

Another purpose is to provide a simple tool for manually holding spikes in position to be driven.

Another purpose is to provide a tool which may be readily disengaged from the spike after it has begun to be driven.

Another purpose is to provide an adjustable spike holding tool. Y

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein;

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating a spike in position to be driven;

Figure 2 is a, similar perspective illustrating the tool in course of withdrawal from the partly driven spike;

Figure 3 is a plan view;

Figure 4 is a side elevation;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 4.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the speciiication and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, I generally illustrates a railroad track tie. 2 illustrates a tie plate having spike receiving apertures 3. 4 is the bottom flange of a rail. 5 is a spike shown, in Figures 1 and 2, as in the driving position.

It will be understood that the user of the herein described tool may employ it in connection with the use of a power spike driver, having an anvil or hammer member adapted to engage the head of the spike or hold the spike while another man drives it with a spike mall by hand. The purpose of the present tool is to make it possible manually to hold the spike in position to be driven.

Referring to the tool it includes a removable handle 6 and a head portion generally indicated as 1. The head portion is shown as including an upright web 8 having a lateral web extension 9 and a second lateral re-enforcing extension I. Il generally indicates a unitary top plate structure, preferably integral with the webs 8, 9 and l0.

I2 indicates an inclined socket 55 adapted to receive the lower end of the handle 6, in removable relationship. The sleeve I2 may be split as at l2a, as will be clear from Fig.v 2. I3 is any suitable securing or tightening screw, showing as having an appropriate locking nut I4. As will be clear from Figs. 3 and 6, the main web 8 has recessed into one side thereof a spike engaging block generally indicated as I4 and having a spike receiving recess defined by the faces I5 and I6. The block is also provided with a channel I'I which serves as a guide for the spring I3. The spring has a rear inclined portion I9 which terminates in an end portion 2&3 shown as secured to the rear end of the web 8 by a securing bolt 2l and nut 22. The spring i8 has a forward, inwardly inclined end portion 23 adapted actually to engage and surround the shank of the spike 5,in the positioning relationship illustrated in Figure 1, the spike being held against the faces I5 and i6. The block I4 may be locked by the recess 25 to the web 8, for example by the locking screw 2B and its nut 2l. The spring I 3 may be adjusted by the set screw 28 with its screw threaded portion 29 and spring engaging end portion 30. 3| is any suitable locking nut which also helps to fasten the block Ill to the web 8. It will be understood that the end portion 3i] operates against the thrust of the spring I8, while the screw threaded portion 29 assists in holding the block I4 in its locked position. At the outer end of the web 9 is an enlargement 35 through which passes the adjusting set screw 3E, with its locking nut 31. The lower end 33 of the set screw 36 is adapted to engage the upper surface of the rail flange ll, and serves as means for balancing and centering the tool, with the spike 5 in proper vertical position to be driven.

It will be realized that, whereas, we have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of our invention. We therefore wish our description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting us to our precise showing.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

One or more operators, handling one or more of the tools herein shown, may work with a spike driving machine. A spike is rst inserted in the tool in the position in which the spike is shown in Figure l. The tool is then positioned to overlie the top of the rail ilange 4, with the end 38 of the set screw properly set to maintain the face I5 substantially vertical. The operator manual- `ly sets the spike 5 at the proper position to be driven, for example in vertical alignment with, and partly penetrating one of the tie plate apertures 3. The spike driving machine is then used to start the Yspike?. When the spike has been partly drivem as shown in Figure 2, the tool is manually withdrawn, Without stopping or interfering with the operation of the spike driving tool. The spring I8 is adjusted to a proper thrust, so that it will hold the spike suiciently rmly in place due to the need to be positioned, without substantially impeding the withdrawal of the tool after the spike has been started.

Also used to drive the spikes by hand, the above procedure may be carried out by having one man hold the spike in position in the holder, while another man drives with the spike mall, Thus our invention is equally applicable to hand driving .and to machine driving, and makes unnecessary 'they use of a cumbersome and expensive guiding or holding attachment which might otherwise be required for machineoperation.

It will be understood that the spike holding Itool is employedl to hold the spike in the proper driving vposition for the ,initiation of the driving operation. The. spike` is Valigned with the area .into which it is to be driven. After it has been vinitially struckeither -bya mall, or by other spike driving equipment, the user can release the spike.

Preferably it .is held in position until the spike is rmly started into the tie. Thereafter the hold- .er can be removed without stopping the driving operation, and .beforethe spike head, or the driving means, gets down far enough to contact the spike holding tool. After the initiation of the driving operation, when: the spike is rrnly started,

4 the holding tool having completed its task, is removed.

We claim:

1. In a spike handling tool, a handle, a tool body at the lower end of the handle, said body having supporting abutment means adapted to engage the :upper surface ot, arail flange, and spring means for engaging and holding a spike, said body having fixed, generally perpendicular aligning faces adapted to maintain a spike in upright position for the initiation of the driving operation, said spring means being adapted to hold. .the spike in positioning contact with said aligning faces.

2.1ma ispikeihandling tool, a handle, a tool body atthel'owerend of the handle, a positioning block, interpenetrating with a side of said body, means for removably holding said block in posi- Y tion said block having generally perpendicular aligning faces arranged in intersecting planes,

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesfare of record in the le of this patent:

UNTI'ED' STA/TES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,620,812 Fogarty Mar.. 15, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CoizLntry Date 29,322 Great Britain 1 Dec. 15, 1909 

